Rise and Shine with Morning Glory

March 2018

If you need a reason to haul your sleepy self out from under the covers in the morning, how’s this: lemon ricotta French toast. Or a smoked salmon bagel platter, a bacon Belgian waffle slathered with walnut butter, or some homemade blueberry muffins?

For nearly 21 years, these dishes and more have made Morning Glory one of Ashland’s top spots for breakfast, brunch or lunch. Locals and visitors alike make the charming little blue house at 1149 Siskiyou Boulevard their go-to destination for jump starting their day.

“Morning Glory is more than just a great place to come and have breakfast or lunch,” says owner Patty Groth. “It’s a part of this community. Our customers, the tourists that come back year after year, my devoted staff—it’s all part of some grand design that has a life of its own.”

Patty developed the magic formula for her restaurant from a love of food and cooking nurtured early in her life. She learned many of her cooking skills from her mom, in a family where kids helped prepare the family dinners every night. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in New York in 1986, she moved to the Rogue Valley and opened The McCully House Inn in Jacksonville in 1989. After five years, she sold the Inn and moved to Ashland to be a full-time mom.

It wasn’t long, however, before she got a hankering to return to the restaurant business. She opened Morning Glory’s doors in March 1997.

“I had a lot of real estate and restaurateurs telling me that I would never make it on that side of town,” says Patty. “But when you have a vision, you just block out any negativity and keep moving forward.”

Patty’s latest vision is the Morning Glory Cookbook, set to publish next month. She is working with Laney D’Aquino, the artist who has produced the murals, menus and signage for Morning Glory, on the cookbook, titled Breakfast at Morning Glory: Recipes, Mishaps and Adventures. Friend and mentor DianaVon Welenatz Wentworth, co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul Cookbook, is serving as editor and writing the book’s foreword.

For Morning Glory’s 21st year, Patty has lots more plans: an outdoor, rain-or-shine anniversary party on Saturday, March 10th; more vegan and vegetarian menu items; a loyalty card program; an outdoor bar on weekends all summer with music on the deck; and a mini playhouse-restaurant on the deck for kids.

Morning Glory is open daily 8am to 1:30pm. For more info, call 541-488-8636 or visit morninggloryrestaurant.com. You can also like them on Facebook.